North Korea-US tensions

The handout photo taken and released by the US Navy on June 1, 2017 shows the Carl Vinson strike group during a joint navel drill with the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76-in background) and Japanese ships in the Sea of Japan (also known as the East Sea), off the Korean peninsula, where a North Korean missile landed during a test fire on May 29.

These are the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:

North Korea-US tensions

The United States and North Korea seem to be heading towards an armed confrontation. The looming military showdown has become a test of credibility for both US President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un. The war of words between the two sides has escalated to levels not seen in the past. In one of the most ominous threats against Pyongyang to this day, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said the North should refrain from actions that “would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people”.

Awamiyah destroyed

Concerns are rising over the deterioration of the situation in Saudi Arabia’s eastern town of Awamiyah. Awamiyah - that has been under siege for the past months by Saudi security forces - is now reported to have been largely reduced to rubble. The security forces are pushing ahead a deadly crackdown on the Shia-dominated town which the media are now describing as almost like a war zone. The government’s claim that it is renovating Awamiyah has been widely ridiculed by the media. But for residents, life has become difficult specifically over the past 14 days because, as they say, Saudi forces are shooting randomly at everyone in the streets. And now, international rights organizations are gradually voicing concerns over what is seen as a cleansing campaign by Saudi Arabia against the Shias in Awamiyah.